Hi everyone,
As you read this, I’m on my way back from Liverpool to Maine.1
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the return journey is always difficult for me. There’s no painless way to leave behind a city that holds so much of my heart in its history and its hands. And returning this time is more difficult than ever, given things as they are in the US, and also that it might be until after Part Two is finished before I can return (which will be awhile, especially given the new research I’ve gathered).
As a solitary person by nature, I’m also more than a little dazed at a solid month of domestic and international travel and almost nonstop human interaction — two things that are difficult for me at the best of times and especially for such a long stretch and with such emotional and intellectual demands as have been required this past month.
All of which is to say that I don’t have an update per se for you this week. I’m far too dazed and wrung out to do justice to anything substantive that I’d want to share with you. So instead, I’ll share a few tidbits of possible interest.
First, I was so happy to discover that the windows of the (still empty) Bus Shelter are now covered with a lovely series of panels depicting scenes from the song— more or less what I proposed in the Abbey piece I wrote a few months back. (To be clear, the artwork was in place before I wrote that piece, so I can take no credit. It’s a case of a good idea arriving in two minds at the same time).
A heartfelt thank you to the artist, Susannah Rachel,2 for her love and care in making this happen. And also to the owner of the Bus Shelter for allowing it to happen. This is the first time I’ve returned to Penny Lane to find it better than it was before. In a world where most things seem to be getting worse all the time, seeing some care and attention given to the Bus Shelter was a beautiful sign of hope.3
Second, there’s a gorgeous new mural of John on Mathew Street.
Third, in addition to some useful Beautiful Possibility research in the archives of the City of Liverpool and the Barry Miles collection at John Moores University, I was also able to finish the last bit of research I needed for the Complicated Passion piece on Strawberry Field(s). So (hopefully) it won’t be long until that’s finished and there will be something new on The Abbey other than these scruffy updates.
I’m not sure there will be much of an update next week. I may need a bit of time to reset.
Meanwhile, peace, love, and strawberry fields,
Faith 🍓
PS If you’re not sure what I’m referring to relative to the Bus Shelter, here’s the original piece. I’m told it’s better listened to than read —
This means I have no reliable way of knowing if this will publish at the usual time of 7:57 am US east coast time. We get what we get with this one, publication-wise.
I’m writing on my phone and for some reason, can’t add a link, so here for now is Susannah Rachel’s website:
https://susannahrachelillustrations.com/
Also, I can’t resist pointing out the inclusion of “finger pies” on one of the panels as a culinary menu item. As some of you may know, a “finger pie” is not, in fact, a variety of English street food, but a sexual reference. I’m curious as to whether this panel is meant ironically or not.
